Itinerary Notes

Please note for the nights spent camping on this trip, the campsites are located in the remote highlands of Santa Cruz and Isabela Islands. During free time and included activities there will be opportunities to explore the towns and coastal areas on these islands, but in an effort to create a wilderness experience, the camping is not located in the towns.

When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.

Your flight must arrive by or before: 11:00 a.m. on Day 1

Your flight must depart no earlier than: 12:00 a.m. on Day 7

Itinerary

Day 1Puerto Ayora/Santa Cruz Island

Enjoy a day on Santa Cruz island and head to the highlands to see giant tortoises in the wild and hike to the lava tunnels.

Lava Tunnels Visit

Santa Cruz Island

Check out Santa Cruz's lava tunnels, massive underground lava tubes found throughout the island that, in some places, extend several kilometres.

Highlands Giant Tortoises Visit

Santa Cruz Island

Head to Santa Cruz’s verdant highlands and the El Chato Reserve, a perfect place to see giant tortoises in their natural environment. Explore the reserve’s lagoon and lava tunnels, keeping an eye out for owls that often roost in the tunnels’ entrances.

Santa Cruz Highlands Camping

Cerro Mesa

Get a glimpse into the life of a Galápagos tortoise at the camp for the evening in the highlands of Santa Cruz. Located 500 meters above sea level on an ecological reserve, the humidity and precipitation in the highlands make it the ideal home for giant tortoises, Darwin's finches and many other species.

Accommodation

Santa Cruz Highlands Camping Lodge (or similar)

Campground

Meals included:

Lunch | Dinner

Day 2Santa Cruz Island/Floreana Island

In the morning, visit the Charles Darwin Station to see Galápagos giant tortoises. After, transfer by speedboat to Floreana Island. Get settled at the G Adventures-supported community guesthouse and opt to explore the small town or catch the sunset at Playa Negra beach.

Please note that travel between islands is done by speedboat. The ride can be quite rough, especially from July to December. Make sure to bring sea sickness medication if you are prone to sea sickness.

Charles Darwin Research Station Visit

Puerto Ayora45m

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organization initiated in 1964, which works to preserve the Galápagos' ecosystem through the conservation efforts of scientists, researchers, and volunteers. The research station provides a study location for international scientists and environmental education for the local community.

The station is also a great place to observe many species of tortoises and land iguanas in captivity in the Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galápagos tortoise up close – a corral houses adult tortoises, and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened.

Speedboat

Puerto Ayora – Floreana Island2h

Cut swiftly through the water en route to the next stop (and hang on to your hat).

G Adventures for Good: Floreana Community Restaurants

To further benefit the community on Floreana island G has provided training to residents for all aspects of tourism, including food preparation and service. The community will provide your meals while staying on this small island. The meals are rotated amongst different community members in order to spread out the benefits of tourism. While eating at the community restaurants you will be contributing to the self-sufficiency of the first community tourism operator in the Galápagos.

G Adventures for Good: Floreana Community Guesthouse

Floreana Island is a small, isolated, inhabited island part of the Galápagos Archipelago. Many of its residents have been living there for the past three generations since the islands were first colonized. Its 150 residents have tried to benefit from the tourism boom, but since most tourism is marine-based and the boats don't stop in the village, they have struggled to find any opportunities. We are investing in community training and infrastructure to develop the first ecological, community tourism program in the Galápagos Islands that sees both the islands small entrepreneurs and its unique wildlife as the primary beneficiaries of this project.

Accommodation

Floreana Camping (or similar)

Campground

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Day 3Floreana Island

Enjoy an included snorkelling excursion to Loberia, and visit the highlands of Floreana.

Loberia Snorkelling Excursion

Floreana Island1h-2h

Snorkel straight off the beach at Loberia, and get up close to the diverse wildlife in the waters around the Galápagos. Please be sure you are a strong swimmer; the water here can be rough and the currents are strong.

Floreana Highlands Excursion

Floreana Island2h-3h

Head up to the seldom-visited highlands of Floreana. Hear the tales about the pirates, whalers, seal hunters and buccaneers who once lived in this isolated and unique landscape.

G Adventures for Good: Floreana Community Restaurants

To further benefit the community on Floreana island G has provided training to residents for all aspects of tourism, including food preparation and service. The community will provide your meals while staying on this small island. The meals are rotated amongst different community members in order to spread out the benefits of tourism. While eating at the community restaurants you will be contributing to the self-sufficiency of the first community tourism operator in the Galápagos.

G Adventures for Good: Floreana Community Guesthouse

Floreana Island is a small, isolated, inhabited island part of the Galápagos Archipelago. Many of its residents have been living there for the past three generations since the islands were first colonized. Its 150 residents have tried to benefit from the tourism boom, but since most tourism is marine-based and the boats don't stop in the village, they have struggled to find any opportunities. We are investing in community training and infrastructure to develop the first ecological, community tourism program in the Galápagos Islands that sees both the islands small entrepreneurs and its unique wildlife as the primary beneficiaries of this project.

Optional Activities - Day 3

Kayaking

Floreana Island

Tour the waters by kayak and get up close to marine life in the area. Keep an eye out for sea lions, turtles, and more!

Swimming

Floreana Island

Grab your swimsuit and head out for a refreshing swim. After a busy day exploring, what better way to unwind? Ask the CEO to point out the best spots to take a dip!

Accommodation

Floreana Camping (or similar)

Campground

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Day 4Floreana Island/Isabela Island

Take a speedboat over to Isabela Island and hike the Sierra Negra Volcano for spectacular views from above.

Boat

Floreana Island – Isabela Island2h

Climb aboard and get your float on.

Sierra Negra Volcano Hike

Isabela Island3h-5h

Hike to the rim of the 10km (6 mi) wide crater of the Sierra Negra volcano, which has the largest basaltic caldera in the Galápagos. Trek across the moon-like landscape of the lava fields and fumaroles, and enjoy spectacular views looking north toward Fernandina and the rest of Isabela Island. The volcano last erupted in October 2005, making it the most recent eruption of the Galápagos.

Isabela Highlands Camping

Sierra Negra

Spend the night camping in the foothills of the Sierra Negra volcano. A 15 minute drive from Puerto Villamil, your camp for the night puts you in the heart of tortoise territory.

Accommodation

Campo Duro Isabela Camp (or similar)

Campground

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Day 5Isabela Island

Enjoy free time in the morning for optional activities, opt to go snorkelling, surfing or hit the beach. In the afternoon, visit the Flamingo Lagoon and the Tortoise Breeding Centre.

Free Time

Isabela IslandAfternoon

Enjoy some free time to relax or get active.

Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre Visit

Isabela Island2h-3h

Walk through the town’s wetlands to visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre. Pass basking iguanas and flamingos, and head into the forest to see the gentle giants in their natural habitat at this reserve. With the giant tortoise on its way to extinction in the late 1950s, this program was established to protect these noble creatures.

Flamingo Lagoon Visit

Isabela Island

Spend some time exploring Isabela's natural attractions. Enjoy a walk to the largest coastal lagoon in the Galápagos, also a principal breeding ground for flamingos. Make stops along the way at a lookout point, and to visit natural pools, beaches, and mangrove swamps.

Isabela Highlands Camping

Sierra Negra

Spend the night camping in the foothills of the Sierra Negra volcano. A 15 minute drive from Puerto Villamil, your camp for the night puts you in the heart of tortoise territory.

Optional Activities - Day 5

Islote Tintoreras Snorkelling

Isabela Island

45USD per person

Go snorkelling at the islet Las Tintoreras, located south of Puerto Villamil – it's the perfect place to glide along watching the magic unfold under the water’s surface. Enjoy a small calm turquoise bay to look for the whitetip reef shark, which are fairly common in the archipelago. (The sharks are called Tintorera in Spanish, which is where the site gets its name.) Keep an eye out for sea lions, sea turtles, marine iguanas, and rays as well as the sharks.

Los Tuneles Snorkelling

Isabela Island45m-1h

140USD per person

Grab your swimsuit, a snorkel, and head out to explore the waters to see what’s living under the sea. Head to Los Tuneles about a 40 minute boat ride away from Puerto Villamil. The lava formations and mangroves make this an ideal place for snorkeling. Keep an eye out for eagle rays, sea turtles and large schools of colourful fish.

Swimming

Isabela Island

Enjoy a refreshing dip, and be sure to keep an eye out for local marine life.

Surfing Lesson

Isabela Island

40USD per person

Grab your swimsuit and get ready to hang ten! Learn how to find and ride the waves with surfing lessons from local experts. Enjoy the fresh sea air, and try to spot local marine life while enjoying the waters.

Accommodation

Campo Duro Isabela Camp (or similar)

Campground

Meals included:

Breakfast

Day 6Isabela Island/Santa Cruz Island

Transfer by speedboat back to Santa Cruz Island, and enjoy a night in the town of Puerto Ayora. Hike to beautiful Tortuga Bay, and opt to go kayaking or just lounge on the beach.

Boat

Isabela Island – Santa Cruz Island2hMorning

Climb aboard and get your float on.

Tortuga Bay Hike

Santa Cruz Island

Enjoy a short walk to the beautiful white beach of Tortuga Bay. Relax on the beach, walk along the mangroves looking for marine iguanas and birdlife, or rent a kayak and explore this marine wonderland. Look for Tintoreras sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays in the water's shallow areas.

Optional Activities - Day 6

Tortuga Bay Kayaking

Santa Cruz Island2h-3h

15USD per person

Grab a life jacket and go for a kayak adventure in the mangroves of Tortuga Bay. Keep an eye out for a wide variety of marine life, including colorful reef fish, rays, and sea turtles, as you paddle the blue waters. Relax after on a beautiful fine white sand beach, and soak up some sun – you may spot some iguanas also trying to catch some rays on the shore.

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